Lever mechanism



A. GRlEvEs LEVER MECHANISM April z2 1924: 1,491,009

Filed "June 2 1919 Patented Apr. 22, 1924.

UNITED OFl*.` l--CE.V4

ALBERT eRIEvEs, or sPRINeEIELD,- Onro,ASSIGNOR .To 'INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY, A CORPORATION or NEw JERSEY.

LEVER MEonANrsifl appiietioi ined' .ruzie 26, 191e. se'riiNo. 366,967'.

To @ZZ whom t may concern.

Be it known that I, ALBERT GRI'EVE'S, a" citizen oi the United States, residing' ,at Springfield, in the county ofClark and State oi Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inw LeverMechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and'eiact speciiication.

This invention. relates to levers.

TheLuse o'r' levers and lever mechanism to shift gears and to shiftV driving connections for rotatingl elements of'maohines from one direction of rotation to thev reversel direction o'f rotation, and to change the driving speeds or the rotating elements is common in Q,all arts. When levers are utilized or thus changing the direction of rotation of moving elements, there is always a tendency to shirt the-lever from one extremelposition' to the opposite extreme, thereby changing" directly from one direction of rotation or movement to the opposite direction. Where the rotating elements are revolving at highspeeds, it will be readily seen that thus changing the direction of rotation from one direction to the opposite direction directly Without irst throwing the connections into neutral positionv would often result `invinjury tothe rotating elements and breakageV of parts; This isvall the ymore true when thespeed oi the rotating parts, as well as' the direction of rotation', is changed by the `moveinentof the shifting lever.

One familiar example of a changeY in'speed asl well as a change in direction-of `rotation of the operative elements is VfoundingV the combined side delivery hay rake and ,tedden In this machine', as is well known, the rake or rotating e'leinentis' revolved in one direc? tion for raking, and in the opposite direction and atgreater speed for tedding. It will be seen, therefore, thatin this type of machine it is desirable to provide shifting mechanism with means for preventinga direct change in the speedand the direction of movement of the operative elements. Having the above stated problems in mind, the object of the present invention to provide safetylocking means Afor preventing a direct' changefrom rotation in rone direction to rotation in theopposite. direc:- tion, and tromonespeed ofrotation-to a difyferent speed of' rotation. r f

uIn the embodiment ofthe inventionil insti-ated and described in this application,

tlie's'afety lockingj-means comprises an adjii'st'able lockingmember carried bythe lever and lco)operating" with a. Xed part of the frame," such asthesector, in suoli a manner as to limit 'the' moveinen t1of theflever on its pivot in a given" direction.

Inl the drawings, wheI einone embodiment of theinvent'ionf is' illu'strate :l V

Figi l'rshofws Amy improved construction in front elevation, one' example of gearing which maybe shifted by the lever beingv shown in dotted lines;

Fig;'2 is -a side. elevational view, partly in section, of the construction shown in Fig. 1; Y 'F ig. 3 is'a front elevational view similar to" Fig.l 1, but' showing'the lever in' one eX- treme position ot adjustment;

F @t isa side elevational view lof the safety locking mechanism showing this mechanism in' its central position of adjustment; f

Fig. 5 is a transverse View showing thel safety loclingniember in one eXtreme position-.of adjustment; f

Fig.` 6 a detail View showing in section a porti'omotj thelofClngmemberl in its neutalf position of adjustment.

lnfthe Vdrawings whereinl myv invention is illustrated, I haveshown the loclring mechanism in connection A,with a'partic'ular type of lever which will be hereinafter des'crbed,fbiit itsliouid Vbe vunderstood that the locking mechanisn1I is adapted `for use in connectionwith other types ot levers and is not limited in anyway to the typeillustrated,this` typeibeing shown merely for the purpose of illustrating onepractical embodimento-f theinvention," The lever mechanism will first be described andthen a description will be given .of Ithe locking" mechanism.

Referring to the4 drawings, I have shown a portion Ofthe Yiframe r10 which may represent any machine, and tothis frame there is secured a sector 1 1,y havingI the usual notchesl 12l for the reception of a sliding detent orV locking member 13, yThe detent 13 is in this instancerformed integral with the` casing 14, having forwardly extending lugs r15 ,which overlap and embrace the main portion 16; of the lever. @The securing memberlor bolt `1'? is secured to the por tion 1 6 of theleier and .passes through the casing 14, af slot 18 beine' provided in the outer Ywall of theca'singg 1 4 to permit the reciprocation of the detentV 13 and casing against the bolt 17 and at its opposite end against the lower wall 2O of the casing 14. 1t will be seen, therefore, that the spring 19 normally tends to force the` casing 14 and detent 13 downwardly intok engagement with one of the notches 12 of the sector 11. The portion 16 of the lever is pivoted on a pin 21 carriedby the sector 11 and is operatively connected in a manner hereinafter described with a supplemental lever 21. The supplemental lever is also pivoted on the pivot pin 21 andV extends downwardly therefrom, as is clearly illustrated in Fig. 2, and is provided with a. clutch or gear shifting fork 22. 1n the lever illustrated in connection withL my invention a' resilient connection between the main lever and the supplemental lever is provided this connecticn comprising a pair of pivotally mounted dogs 23 pivoted onra pin 24 carried by thel por-tion16 of the lever. These dogs have formed thereon at their upper ends offset lugs 25V which overlap the portion 16 of the'lever and the upper end of the supplemental lever 21. have also formed thereon inwardly projected studs 26 between which is mounted a spring 27 which normally tends to force the lower portions of the dogs apart and the upper portion of the dogstogether, and into engagement with the lateral edges of the portion 16 of the lever and of the supplemental lever v21,. Means has also been provided for limitin the inward movement of the lower ends ot the dogs 23, this means comprising inwardly projecting stops or lugs 27 which overlap the lower end of the portion 16 of the lever. The particulartype oflever just described was devised for shifting gears into and ont of mesh with each other. and operates in the following manner:l

Assuming that Vthe teeth on the gearsto be shifted into mesh with veach, other are not properly positioned to be meshed, when the lever is shifted, for instance,'from the neutral position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown inFig. 3, the gear which is shifted by the lever vcannot immediately mesh with the gear with which itv is intended te mesh,V and therefore the main portion 16 of the lever/and the supplemental 'portion 21 of the `lever will assume the position ft shown in Fig. 31V In this position it will be seenY that tliemain portion 16 has been lshifted toits extreme position in one direction and locked in this position, but that the supplemental lever 21 has not yet been shifted, since the gears could not be immediately'moved into mesh with eachother. The supplemental portion, however, lhas been placed under the tension of the spring 27 by'meansof the pivoted'dogs23. This is accounted for bylthe fact that the lug 25 The dogs 23A of the right hand dog 23 (see Fig. 3) is engaged by the portion 16 of the lever, thereby swinging the right hand pivoted dog 23 in a clockwise direction. This movement is communicated to t-he left hand pivoted dog through the spring 27, and the lug 25 carried by the left hand dog engages the upper left hand lateral edge of the supplemental lever 21', thereby tending to force the upper end of the lever 21 toward the right and the 'lower end of the lever 21 toward the left.k As soon, therefore, as the rotating gear has `moved a sutlicient distance to be positioned in the proper rotte ti'vefadjustment formeshing with the stationary gear, the rotating gear will be forced into mesh with the stationary gear by means of the spring 27.

It is believedv hat the above description will make the operation of the particular type of lever illustrated clear, and as the safety locking mechanism is equally well adapted to other types of levers, Vit is not believed that any further reference to this particular type will be necessary.

As is usual with a. pawl and sector type of lock, the ordinary releasing mechanism is provided in this case, this mechanism comprising a bell crank lever 28 adapted to be engaged by the hand of the operator and pivoted at 29 tothe upper end of the lever. The member 28 is connected by means of a link 30 to an outwardly projecting lug 31 formed integral with or secured to the casing 14 above described. The sector 11 is provided with laterally projecting stops 32, the purpose of which is to limit the pivotal movement of the portion 16 of the lever, and also'to co-operate with the safety locking Y mechanism in preventing the direct shifting ofV thelever from one extreme position of adjustment to the opposite extreme. The safety locking mechanism will next befdescribed. f

This locking mechanism comprisesa pivoted locking member 33 loosely carried byV the pivot pin 34 secured to the portion 16 of the lever. Thisvv locking member is mounted on the .pin 34 for pivotal movement laterally with respect to the lever, and is normally pressedl into contactV with the outer surface of the lever by-meansfof a compression spring 35 carried'by the pin 34 and positioned between a nut 36 Von the screw-threaded outer end 37 of the pin 34 and the outer surface 38 of the locking member.v As clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the loclring'member has an offset central portion 39, this offset portion being provided to permit the swinging ofthe locking member on its pivot and to escape in this swingingy motion the lugs v15l Vcarried by the easing 14. On its'outer end the locking member is provided with an outwardly projecting handle or lug 40, by means of which it iso may be shifted from one position of adjustment to another position. Adjacent to its inner end and projecting laterally from the offset portion 33, there is formed a camshaped member or lug 41 beveled or rounded on its inner portion, as shown at 42, (Fig. 6). ln the central position of adjustment of the lug 41 this lug engages a V- shaped opening 4.3 formed between the lugs l5, the engagement of the lug 4:1 with this opening normally maintaining the locking member in 'its' central position of adjustment. When the locking member is disposed in this central position of adjustment, the inwardly projecting portion 14 formed on the outer end of the locking member, will prevent the upward movement of the locking pawl 13 to a suliicient distance to release this pawl from one of the notches 12, since the portion die of the locking member overlaps the outer surfaces of the lugs 15. as clearly shown in Fig. 4t. Therefore, before the lever can be shifted from neutral position to one or the other extreme positionof adjustment, the locking member 39 must be swung toward the right or toward the left (see Fig. 1). Assuming that the operator desires to shift the lever 16 in a clock-wise direction, he must first swing the locking member 39 toward the left or to the position in F ig.r 3. wWhen this has been done, the pawl 13 may be lifted from engagement with the central notch 12 in the sector 11, and the lever may then be shifted to its eXtreme position of adjustment shown in Fig. 3. Assuming that the lever has been so shifted and that the operator desires to shift the lever to the opposite extreme position of adjustment in order to change the direction of rotation or the speed of the elements controlled by the lever, he must first shift the lever t the neutral position, since the engagement of the end 411 of the locking member with the left hand laterally projecting lug 32carried by the sector will prevent a shifting of the lever from the eX- treme position shown in Fig. 3 to the 0pposite extreme position. After the lever lias been shifted to the neutral position the operator. should throw the locking member from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 1,*whereupon the lever may be shifted in an anti-clockwise direction to the extreme position of movement opposite rthat shown in Fig. 3. lt is intended that the shifting of the locking member from one position to another will call to the attention of the operator the necessity of first shifting the leverto neutral position before shifting from one extreme position of adjustment to the opposite position, and `will effectively prevent the shifting of the lever from. one end of the sector to the other end thereof.

The curvature of the lug 41, as indicated struction and operation of the lever, it will be seen that l have provided a simple and eiiicient locking mechanism, a mechanism which maybe readily attached to any of the common forms of levers used for shifting operative parts of machines.

lVhile l have in the above specilications described a single embodiment of my invention and have shown the locking member ati tached to a particular type of lever, it should be distinctly understood that this embodiment and the type of lever shown in connection therewith were illustrated merely for the purpose of showing a practical construction, and that modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed by the following claims:

1. In combination, a sector, a lever, means carried by the lever and cooperating with the sector to secure the lever in differentr positions of adjustment, and means carried by said lever and engageable with said sector for preventing the movement of said lever from one extreme position on said' sector to the opposite eXtreme position.

2; In combination, a sector, a lever, means carried by the lever and cooperating with the sector to secure the lever in different positions of adjustment, and means pivotally mounted on said lever and adapted to engage said sector for` preventing the movement of said lever from one extreme position of adjustment tothe opposite extreme position.

3. In combination, a sector, a lever, and reversible means pivotally mounted on said lever adapted to engage 4said sector for preventing the movement of said lever rfrom one extreme position of adjustment to the opposite extreme position.

e. in combination, a toothed' sector, a

lever, a detent carried by the lever, means for actuating the detent to engage the sector to lock the lever in adjusted position, means said sector and in another position to release the paWl but limit movement of the lever on the sector.

6. In combination, a sector having a lat erally extending portion at each end, a lever, and means p1voted on said lever and adapted to engage each of .said portions to limit the movement of said lever to one part of the sector.

V7. ln combination, a sector having 'lateral` ly extending portions, a lever and reversible means pivotally mounted on said lever and adapted 'tov engage said laterally extending portions and resilient means for holding said' reversible means in yielding lcontact With said lever.`

8. ln combination, a sector, va lever, a member pivotally mounted, on ysaid lever and having an offset end portion and'means carried by said sector and adapted to be engaged by said offset end portion When said member is disposed in a predetermined position of adjustment, and limit movement of the lever to one part l' the sector.

9.1n combination, a Sector, a lever, a member pivoted to said lever and having an oset end portion, resilient means for normally retaining said member in apposition substantially at right angles to said lever, and means carried by said sector and adapted to be engaged by said member when said member is disposed in aposition substantially at right angles to said lever whereby .the movement of said lever is limited. Y

lO. In combination, a sector, a lever adapted to swing along the sector, means carried by the lever and cooperating with the sector to secure the lever in different positions of adjustment, and means for limiting the movement of tlie lever to one portion of the sector when in one position and for limiting its movement to another portion of the sector When the means is in another position.

l1. In combination, a sector, a lever adapted to swing along ,the sector, and means cooperating with the lever and sector to limit movement or the lever to one por# tion' of the sector when in'one position and to limit movement of the lever to another portion of the sector when in another position and to prevent movement of the lever when in a third position.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

ALBERT GRIEVES.

VBti 

